NEWS
- Delaney details plans for budget, growth Josh Salman
- Professor studies truth behind lies Ashley Beland
- Last week by the numbers
- Son stumps for Romney on campus Tami Livingston
- Students lobby in Tally Tami Livingston
- Election 2008 Update Tami Livingston
Delaney details plans for budget, growth
University president addresses students, staff at second LearnUNF program
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Students, faculty and staff applaud UNF President John Delaney after his speech during the LearnUNF presentation Jan. 28. |
UNF President John Delaney spoke about the state of the university and the vision for its future at the second LearnUNF presentation of the academic year in the Fine Arts Center Jan. 28.
LearnUNF, established in 2006, is a program designed to allow faculty, staff and students to learn about the essential workings of the university's daily operation and its plans for the future, said Ida Gropper, director of educational training.
Delaney's speech focused on Florida's budget, the projected growth of UNF, the Jacksonville Commitment, updates from Tallahassee and a NCAA Division I update.
The State's Budget
Florida's budget is based on sales tax, and every year the state has received more money than it did the previous year. The only exception was in 1971, when Florida received less in the budget.
This fiscal year the state will have less money.
"Since the bulk of our funding [75 percent] comes from the state of Florida, if they catch a cold, we get cancer," Delaney said. "It's a huge problem when we have to start dealing with these particular budget issues."
UNF administrators saw this coming last year.
Delaney said when the budget was put together for the current year, money was set aside to deal with the fact the state could ask for some money back. Which is exactly what they did, he said.
"I've never seen this happen," Delaney said. "The state approves its budget; the governor signs it into law in May or June. July 1 is the new fiscal year, and on July 2 they said, 'Oops we messed up, give 4 percent of that back.'"
Florida took another slice of the budget back over winter break and might do it again in March.
Further cuts are expected next fiscal year in July, Delaney said.
As a result, other state universities have issued a "hiring freeze" with some looking at layoffs, including layoffs of tenured faculty, Delaney said.
"We are not even talking about layoffs," Delaney said. "We have not instituted a hiring freeze, although it is kind of a hiring slushy."
A 20 percent cut has been made to all faculty travel funding, Delaney said.
All in all, UNF has gotten through fairly pain free, Delaney said, with the exception that there will be no money for raises.
"If we hadn't prepared for this, we would be in the situation our sister institutions are across the state," Delaney said.
Projected Growth
As a result of the budget cuts, the Florida government has directed UNF to not add any more students.
Accepting more students would mean hiring more faculty and staff throughout the university, so there would be a cost associated with these new students the university would not be able to afford, Delaney said.
"There were hundreds and hundreds of students last year that fully qualified and could have gotten into UNF but we simply didn't have the resources to do that," Delaney said.
While the number of students being accepted is decreasing,
the number of applicants is increasing.
"Our acceptance rate is dropping," said Tom Serwatka, vice president and chief of staff. "We are becoming much more competitive."
Another enrollment setback is that UNF has more students than they are getting money for in Tallahassee and funding for enrollments doesn't match up with actual enrollments.
"We have been closing that gap," Serwatka said. "We have been much more aggressive with Tallahassee in terms of telling them how many students we are going to have and we are almost caught up in terms of funding per student."
UNF has also been able to increase minority enrollment, Serwatka said.
The university is becoming more traditional in the sense that the age of the average student is going down, while the number of students enrolled in full-time as opposed to part-time is increasing, he said.
"We are becoming less of a commuter campus, less of a part-time campus, and more of the full-time campus that we had envisioned when we started," Serwatka said.
The Jacksonville Commitment
UNF has teamed up with Edward Waters College, Florida Community College at Jacksonville and Jacksonville University to create the Jacksonville Commitment, a program that would guarantee Duval high school students from a poor family a full scholarship to one of the four colleges.
The campaign will be geared toward the students that are college-capable but would otherwise not have the resources to attend, Delaney said. UNF plans to kick off the program March 24.
"One of the things we are trying to do is link with the needs of the community and better Northeast Florida," Delaney said. "Let's eliminate money as an excuse from getting a college degree."
Jacksonville Mayor John Peyton has agreed to put $1 million in a central scholarship fund for these students.
"It will kind of be an experiment for the first year or two, but I think it will put Jacksonville on the map," Delaney said. "This will be the only place that will make this kind of a commitment to its students."
The Jacksonville Commitment will not cut or take any money from current scholarships or financial aid programs.
"I am a product of a program that provided a scholarship for me and I know if I had not attended college I would be an ex-con or dead," said Nathaniel Glover, special adviser to the president.
Updates from Tallahassee
In the 2007 to 2008 fiscal year Florida chopped $1 billion out of the state's budget. For UNF this was a $2.9 million cut.
Currently there is also an additional holdback, or money that's not being released by Tallahassee, and if it continues at the current rate it would mean an additional $3.1 million in cuts. This would bring the total cuts this fiscal year to $5 million, said Janet Owen, vice president for governmental affairs.
"Tallahassee is skimming stuff off of UNF's paychecks," Owen said.
State legislators are currently pushing state schools to expand ways of producing revenue.
"The forecast is that sometime in 2009 things will really turn around," Owen said. "If they can spread the pain between this year and next, next won't be so bad."
Last week, the Board of Governors met and approved an 8 percent tuition increase effective fall 2008.
The state legislature will meet for a 60 day session March 4 to discuss the increase and the Florida education budget for the upcoming fiscal year.
NCAA Division I Update
UNF is celebrating its 25th anniversary of athletics and closing on the fourth year of the five-year process of becoming a Division I university.
As part of the reclassification process, UNF athletic scholarships have been reduced and teams can't go on to postseason play in any sport, said Dr. Richard Gropper, director of intercollegiate athletics.
"The NCAA doesn't make it easy," Gropper said. "That is a tremendous obstacle. It does take its toll on recruiting, and competitively you are going to suffer. But it's the price we're paying. We feel like we are building for the future."
UNF athletic staff is developing the northern, athletic end of campus, calling it "the varsity village." The plan calls for more than $20 million in enhancements.
"When you raise the bar and transition to the next level, everything transitions upwards including the quality of athletic facilities," Gropper said.
Contact Josh Salman at news@unfspinnaker.com -- PERMALINK -- TOP OF PAGE
Professor studies truth behind lies
When most people are young, they learn the difference between right and wrong, between the truth and a lie. As time goes on, sometimes those boundaries become blurred, and a lie - no matter the size or significance - doesn't seem so bad.
Bella DePaulo has studied the science of deception for more than 20 years, and she's coming to UNF to teach the community how ordinary people become extraordinary liars.
The lecture will take place at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 5 in the University Center as part of the Distinguished Voices Lecture Series. It is free but requires a ticket for admission, which can be found on www.unf.edu under the Spring 2008 Lecture Series link.
DePaulo first became interested in lying during graduate school. She was working with a professor who was studying nonverbal communication while people told the truth. DePaulo said she was much more intrigued by how people acted when they lied.
During the past two decades, DePaulo said the most significant finding in her research is how common lying is.
"It's not extraordinary at all, and people tell lies all the time, every day," she said.
She has conducted numerous studies on deception, but she said one of her favorites was when her subjects had to keep a journal on all the lies they told for a week. Of the college students she analyzed, 76 of the 77 people in the study told two lies a day on average. Also when college students called their mothers, they lied during half of the conversations.
"It's such an intriguing topic because everyone has been affected by lies in their lives," DePaulo said.
Freshman Holliey Woodyard, whose major is undecided, said the worst experience she had with lying was with her family.
"I've had my mom lie to me about money," Woodyard said. "It's hard when your family lies to you like that."
DePaulo's deception studies not only looked at the types of lies told and the frequency, but also the subjects' opportunities to lie in social interactions.
She believes lies are more prevalent in a college community because it is filled with situations where individuals are meeting new people and where people may have power over others.
"When people first get to college, everything and anyone is so new to them," DePaulo said. "That makes it more tempting to lie because they want to impress people."
Junior criminal justice major Tony Woods and freshman journalism major Brandon Willis both said they lie to girls about their sexual experience to impress.
"My most common lie is 'I'm a virgin' because I want to impress girls," Willis said.
DePaulo's studies also revealed the categories people lie the most in: feelings and opinions; actions, plans and whereabouts; knowledge, achievements and failings; explanations for behavior; and facts or personal possessions.
"Lying is like a wish," DePaulo said. "You wish to be something else so you lie to appear to be the person you wish you were."
| DePaulo's study findings | ||
| Categories of lies | College | Community |
| Feelings and opinions | 37% | 30% |
| Actions, plans and whereabouts | 27% | 28% |
| Knowledge, achievements and failings | 16% | 17% |
| Explanations for behaviors | 10% | 11% |
| Facts, personal possessions | 9% | 15% |
Students speak out
Why do you think people lie?
"Some people lie to help protect others' feelings and protect them, or to keep themselves out of trouble."
Barbara Bearden, freshman, biology
"To make people feel better, and to make things seem better than they actually are."
Holliey Woodyard, freshman, undecided
"To stay out of trouble."
Rashad Lewis, sophomore, criminal justice
"I think people lie because [others] say they want the truth but it usually leads to arguing."
Tony Woods, junior, criminal justice
What do you think other people lie about the most?
"I think people lie to parents about school and grades."
Bearden
"The most common lies are about relationships."
Woodyard
"Personality because of first impressions."
Lewis
"The most common lie would be age."
Brandon Willis, freshman, journalism major "I think people lie about who they are more than anything. They put themselves on a pedestal and lie about their personas."
Woods
What experiences have you had with catching someone lying to you?
"The worst was when I caught my boyfriend cheating on me and lying about it."
Bearden
"I've had my mom lie to me about money before."
Woodyard
"Half of the time people lie about stupid things like whether they are coming to see you."
Lewis
"I've had girls lie to me about their sexual experience before."
Willis
"One day my bustababy girl [friends with benefits] had sex with another dude and her friend told me about it but she lied to me."
Woods
What do you lie about the most?
"Probably about where I am if I don't feel like hanging out. I'll tell them I'm busy or something."
Bearden
"When it comes to people talking bad or gossiping, I'll lie to try to stay out of it."
Woodyard
"My whereabouts to girls to keep from getting in trouble."
Lewis
"My most common lie is 'I'm a virgin' because I want to impress girls."
Willis
"The most common lie is how much I've had sex because the number shouldn't matter."
Woods
Do you think college students lie more than the average person?
"No because there is no reason why college students would lie more than anyone else."
Bearden
"I think college students probably lie more because of status."
Woodyard
"Everyone lies."
Lewis
"I think everyone lies no matter what age."
Willis
"The older you are the more you lie because you have more to hide. I know I lie so good that I convince myself I'm telling the truth."
Woods
Contact Ashley Beland at staff2@unfspinnaker.com -- PERMALINK -- TOP OF PAGE
Last week by the numbers
Each week the Spinnaker staff reports what's going on around campus: the good and the bad. In this little space, we want to summarize the life of the Osprey during the past week.
12,000+ Rugby fans at the International Rugby League game Jan. 26
33 Canada geese in Candy Cane Lake
18 Students went to Tallahassee for Jacksonville Day
16 Rainbow banners hung for LGBT days
Compiled by Holli Welch
Contact Holli Welch at managing@unfspinnaker.com --
PERMALINK -- TOP OF PAGE
Son stumps for Romney on campus
Tagg Romney answers students' questions about his father's political plans
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Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney stopped at the University Center Jan. 19 during a campaign visit to Florida. The former Massachusetts governor spoke about his primary wins in Nevada and Michigan. |
Not enough young people are voting or paying attention to politics - that's why Tagg Romney, son of presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, said he visited UNF Jan. 23.
Tagg Romney spoke to students in a political science research class for more than an hour last week discussing politics in general and answering students' questions about his father's plans.
"Most people your age don't end up voting," Tagg Romney said. "We [America] need more young people paying attention to what's going on and making a difference."
His father is hoping to engage more young voters by utilizing communication formats that appeal to them like Facebook, MySpace, YouTube and blogging, Tagg Romney said. Tagg and his four brothers are also blogging and visiting college campuses across the country to speak directly to students.
The students were more than willing to ask questions about Tagg's father's stances on the war in Iraq, health care, and how he plans to strengthen the U.S. dollar.
Tagg Romney said his father believes in removing troops from Iraq as soon as possible but "it doesn't make sense to leave before the job is done." As for health care, his father would like to see each state receive federal funding for health care and use it to the best advantage of its citizens, Tagg Romney said. His father does not want a national health care plan that is the same for each state.
"Each state has different needs and should be able to use that money to create a plan that covers as many citizens as it can," Tagg Romney said.
As for strengthening the U.S. dollar, Tagg Romney said his father wants to invest in a better education system and in new technologies that will strengthen America, and in turn, the dollar.
Students also wanted to know about Mitt Romney's stance on Darfur, China
and Iran.
"My father wants America to get involved and do what we can," Tagg Romney said. "He also wants to get a global coalition together and say 'this can't stand.'"
And while many people are worried about China's growing economy and stature in world politics, Tagg Romney said his father "doesn't view them as an enemy, but as a competitor," and that America needs to spend more money on creating new technologies to compete with China but also to counteract global warming.
As for Iran, Tagg Romney said his father is absolutely against direct negotiation with Mahmoud Amadinejad and that if president, he would support economic embargoes against Iran and increase diplomatic pressure on the country.
Tagg Romney ended his time with the students by encouraging them to vote Jan. 29.
Contact Tami Livingston at news@unfspinnaker.com -- PERMALINK -- TOP OF PAGE
Students lobby in Tally
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Top: SG Chief of Staff Brittani Raulerson (center) and Sen. Chelsi Henry wait to view the House Chambers in the capitol building Jan. 24 in Tallahassee. Bottom: Jacksonville Sen. Jim King speaks with UNF students, encouraging them to stay involved with politics. |
UNF students questioned local and state government leaders during Jacksonville Day Jan. 24 in Tallahassee.
Eighteen students participated in the trip sponsored by the American Democracy Project and met with Jacksonville and Tallahassee legislators, toured the capital building, sat in on a higher education appropriations committee meeting, and attended a lunch featuring house speaker Marco Rubio.
Florida Senate President Designate Jeff Atwater and current Senate President Ken Pruitt also spoke at the lunch.
Representative Aaron Bean met with the students first and said he got involved with politics because he was always thinking about how he could make
things better.
"You cannot forget when you're in government that you're here to represent the people," Bean said.
After speaking with Bean, the students visited both the House and Senate chambers and attended a luncheon at the
Governor's Club.
During the lunch, Atwater discussed the upcoming legislative sessions and focused on budgetary concerns.
Atwater said the state could finance nothing but recurring funds and still be millions of dollars short this session.
"The desired things are going to have to wait, and the required things are going to have to be fought for," he said, referring to the already reduced state budget and the impending cuts.
Speaker Rubio said this legislative session has "the opportunity to be a historic year" and legislators can do great things for the Florida economy despite having to make "tough choices."
He encouraged legislators and business leaders alike to "plan for more than one year at a time," and look to alternative energy sources as a major industry.
After lunch, students sat in on a Senate Committee of Higher Education meeting and met with Sen. Jim King, who said he thought they were "more involved [with politics]" than most of his constituents.
King encouraged the students to keep themselves informed and stay involved with politics.
"There are crisis decades ahead [for the country]," King said, referring to the economy and the war in Iraq.
The students then took a tour of the governor's mansion and headed back to Jacksonville.
"I think it's a realistic glimpse of what life in Tallahassee is like," said Mark Smith, a senior history and political science major that coordinated the Student Government end of the trip.
Student Body President Rachael Tutwiler said she thought the trip was "a great success," and Smith said ADP administrators hope to double the number of students able to go next year.
Contact Tami Livingston at news@unfspinnaker.com -- PERMALINK -- TOP OF PAGE
Election 2008 Update
Each week, the Spinnaker will be keeping you up to date on the 2008 presidential election: who's leading and how many delegates they have along with any highlights of the previous week.
Democrats
Hillary Clinton - 232
Barack Obama - 158
John Edwards - 62
Republicans
Mitt Romney - 74
John McCain - 40
Mike Huckabee - 29
Election notes: Democrat Dennis Kucinich dropped out of the race. Super Tuesday is next week, when more than a dozen states have primaries. *Results as of 6 p.m. Jan. 29.
Compiled by Tami Livingston
Contact Tami Livingston at news@unfspinnaker.com --
PERMALINK -- TOP OF PAGE